Document Actions

Raven Coal Mine

The proposed Raven Coal Mine near Fanny Bay is one of three new coal mines proposed for Vancouver Island.

49.5011340332-124.849319458

Coal mining was one of Vancouver Island’s earliest industries. Now coal—the worst fossil fuel offender when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions -- is making a dubious comeback. The proposed Raven Coal Mine near Fanny Bay is one of three new coal mines proposed for Vancouver Island. In all, 10 new coal mines are slated for B.C., doubling the number of coal mines in our province.

The proposed Raven mine would remove 44 million tonnes of coal over 20 years. Sierra Club BC is concerned about the impacts of harmful coal dust, noise from the 24-hour a day operation, loss of salmon habitat, the threat to the shellfish industry in nearby Baynes Sound, and potential contamination of aquifers that supply drinking water.

The coalmine will be located only five kilometres upstream from the Baynes Sound shellfish industry, which creates 600 full-time jobs for local people and produces $28 million of shellfish annually. The shellfish are harvested and processed in safe, sustainable ways.

Many harmful toxins can be found in the waste water from coal mines, including heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Shellfish are filter feeders and need clean water to survive as they filter out nutrients from the water. If PAHs and heavy metals enter Baynes Sound, the shellfish will consume and store the harmful compounds. This could lead to unsellable shellfish and the destruction of shellfish populations. The B.C. Shellfish Growers Association is opposed to the Raven mine.

On Saturday July 11, Sierra Club BC will be paddling the Peace alongside youth and elders from Treaty 8 First Nations, third-generation Peace Valley farm families, resource industry workers, local government reps, and British Columbians from all over the province.

We are not even halfway through the Week to End Enbridge (Jun. 13-21) and already people all over B.C. have attended Pull Together events raising thousands for First Nations fighting Enbridge in courts.

Sierra Club BC’s Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP) have joined the Pull Together campaign and organized a fantastic musical double bill in support of First Nations legal challenges against Northern Gateway.